Review :: Eddie Green

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Subzero Review
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Introduction

The Subzero is a 6ft (2060mm x 750mm) light wind kite from Dutchkites. It is the first kite that designer Pim Kusters has made available for purchase - so quite a lot rests on its performance. With a wind range of 0-3bft the Subzero enters into competition with the Lynx Feather which is slightly more expensive.

Construction

The Subzero available for review to kHiTe was 'pre-production'. The kite is zig-zag stuck and stitched and the cutting and sewing is good. The quality is not up to the best workshop made kites but it is certainly better than many factory kites. We had no problems with stoppers un-sticking or knots moving.

The sail is the now standard Icarex and the leading edges are a strong nylon for lightness rather than a heavier dacron. The nose is a material called bisonyl which is black and shiny - again a lightweight but strong material. The nose is large and cut in away that avoids snags. The cut outs on the leading edge for the spreader connectors are only open on one side so no yo-yo glides are required, There is sail reinforcement for the tail area, standoffs, upper cross spreader and on the trailing edge. The trailing edge has an adjustable leech line that is held tight by elastic - making it 'active'. The sail is tensioned at the wing nocks by chord.

Leach Line Adjustment :: Full Size

The frame is constructed of Excel 4mm rod for the leading edges, Avia Skinnies (UL) for the cross spreaders, 5mm Structil in the top spreader and 6mm Structil in the spine. It is very unlikely that the leading edges are going to break, although the Skinnies are more delicate. It is an innovative use of frame materials that seems to work well, being neatly held together by tiny APA fittings. The Yo-Yo stops are hard Excel stand off connectors and are free to move / be adjusted rather than being fixed in place. The Sub is weighted with inserts in the tail of the spine and in the lower spreader ferule, these weights are not removable as they are set up to balance the kite.

The bridle is dynamic, with a line to prevent it catching on the tail. It is adjustable with knots at the upper spreader to change the angle of attack. This is quick and easy. It is also easy to move the tow point closer to the centre of the kite or further out towards the leading edge, although we didn't find adjustment necessary.

Although the Subzero is not as perfectly made as a the best workshop kites attention to detail is excellent. Pim has clearly thought about what he wants in a kite 'out of the bag' and included it with the sub. Talking of which the Sub comes in a thick soft canvas bag in which it fits very snugly. Very nice indeed - the best kite bag we have seen in a while.

Style

Although the sail panel layout looks reminiscent of a some of R-Sky's designs it is significantly different to have its own identity.

Subzero Colour Schemes

The colour schemes are clean and sharp, with the black leading edges standing out well against the sky and framing the lighter parts of the kite. Up close the Subzero's shiny nose fabric gives it a sense or originality too. Overall the Subzero is an attractive looking kite.

Subzero :: Full Size

Flight

The Subzero flies well in very light winds as you would expect from an ultra light. In no wind short lines are required but as the wind picks up you can move up to 75ft (20m) lines. As you move beyond 3bft the leading edges begin to bend but it is still quite trickable,

The Subzero has a very light feel, you can hardly tell it is there. For fliers used to kites with more feedback it might take some getting used to, but we found it a pleasant change. Normal flight is good - the Subzero doesn't have the biggest wind window left and right but is quite happy flying up over your head, which is great in a light wind kite. If you want to knock out precision turns then you will need deft hand movements - not to say it suffers from oversteer - it is just not that kind of kite. The Subzero has character, it tends to flow rather than jump through moves and combinations.

Nose :: Full Size

The Subzero is a weighted kite, so landings and ground work are not a problem. The solid leading edges mean you can be confident with stabs, coin tosses and sharp landings. We had no problems with the super start either which the Subzero really likes. Flap jacks are a breeze. We did dead launch the Subzero on smooth sand, however we were always weary of breaking the Skinny cross spreaders. In the review period we broke a cross spreader attempting a dead launch in a car park. This is not an indestructible street kite, although it is certainly capable of being flown off the beaten track

The Subzero excels at lazy susans and it fades and backspins nicely too. We found that multiple lazy susans from a single pop or multiple pops were hard to resist. The same goes for jacobs ladders, which could be considered a signature trick of the Subzero. The kite feels really comfortable on its back, we found the kite would lay deep in a turtle very easily and could French flic flac without difficulty. However flaring the Subzero out is less predictable, a sharp movement resulted in a quick flattening out, but adjust the timing and the Subzero belly's out more slowly. It took us time to learn to control this and even then it was not always easy to over rotate in this direction into yo-yo's or the set up for wap-do-waps. Yo-Yo's from a turtle however are not difficult, either with a double pop anywhere in the window, or just lots of slack at the top of the window. Once wrapped the flexible frame of the kite means that it deforms a little more than you might expect. Reverse yo-yo's and crazy copters are also accessible with the Subzero. The Subzero is a very pitch capable kite - especially for an ultra light but an extra 5 or 6 gramme's in the tail really speed the rotations up when the wind picks up.

Standoff :: Full Size

Axels and half axels are unsurprisingly no problem for the Subzero. They string well into cascades, although it is not super crisp - it begins to pitch a little if you are not careful. Generally all belly spin tricks take a little more care compared to old school ultra lights. Slow cross window helicopters and 540's are possible but require tending to keep flat. Sometimes we found we would get the timing wrong in an axel or 540 move and the Subzero would end up in a turtle or even a fade. You have to learn to flow with it. Having said that the Subzero has less problems with the comet. The Subzero seldom has line catches - tip wraps are uncommon and the bridle can't snag the tail. The covered leading edges work well, but we did from time to time catch the yo-yo stops with the bridle.

The Subzero has a little bit of a dual personality. When the kite is on it's back you can be very aggressive with it, it likes to be knocked about and doesn't feel like an ultra light at all. However the belly moves like axels and 540's require a more gentle touch and a bit of tending. If you think about it this makes a lot of sense - the free and easy style of ultra light flying is modified by the weight giving it the tendency to pitch out. Having two sides to its character isn't a bad thing - watching the three different Subzero videos you can see the wide range of moves it can handle. Putting combinations together on the Subzero is not hard either, it has a playful character which often seems to dare you to try out new things.

Conclusion

So how does the Subzero measure up to the Lynx Feather? The Lynx is a favourite of ours, but we find the Subzero is actually a bit trickier than the Feather. The Lynx does give more feedback, but the Subzero flows more smoothly in our hands. In our experience the Feather also can flare slowly as the Subzero sometimes does, The two kites have a different feel but they are certainly in the same class.

The Subzero is great value for money, especially when you take the Skinnies into account. In theory you could easily switch them for SDS or even SUL's for different conditions. We really like the way the Subzero handles lazy susan moves and combinations but this does seem to be at the expense of some of the more traditional ultra light moves: they are all there but need more careful handling.

We are rather sad to see the Subzero go. It is exciting to see a new kite from a new designer that doesn't fly like a clone of preexisting kites. If you are looking for a 6ft light wind kite then the Subzero is worth your attention especially at this price.